


Le Cirque des Mervielles

by themutesinger



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Child Abandonment, F/M, M/M, The Night Circus AU, cirque du soleil au, degredation of "lesser" human beings, gratuitous use of music from cirque shows and various other sources
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-11 15:33:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3330923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themutesinger/pseuds/themutesinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to Le Cirque des Merveilles. We cannot promise you will return, and if you do, you will not be the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge: Welcome to Le Cirque des Merveilles

**Author's Note:**

> So I came up with this AU a couple of days ago and I have never been this excited about my own AU ever! So I'm writing this even though I have a bunch of other fics to write and post! I hope you like it!

       It comes silently in the night when all of London is asleep. Upon the dawn, the sunlight falls upon glorious tents of various sizes and designs; bringing curious stares and longing gazes. You find a flyer stapled to a telephone pole, the rainbow lettering a flash of brilliance on the grey image. 

        You arrive at sundown with most of London, admiring the intricate details of the large iron gate. A man in all black bows to the crowd, taking his hat off in a flourish, accenting his beaked, black Venetian mask, then opens the gate, encouraging you to enter. You get pulled along with the crowd, surrounded by the sounds of music, shuffling feet, and hushed voices, some sort of delicious scent filling the air as you are hastened down a pathway and stumble into a tent that looks like it is made of fire. There you see a sturdy man in leather pants, twirling fire about him in a deadly dance, his hair the colour of the flames he wields. You continue on to a tent of the deepest green, and are confronted with a man tumbling, twisting and spinning on a high wire, the audience gasping in enraptured fear. The paths are twisted and winding and you find yourself in tents of purple velvet, white silk, and heavy brown wool. Animal trainers, aerial silks, card readers, and a tribute to the seasons all pass before your eyes. The heavenly scents are tracked to a booth where a rotund ginger man prepares delicacies that are a feast of the senses. Your journey eventually brings you to a beautifully wrought giant iron oak tree, a few strings tied to Its branches; the promises of lovers young and old. Here all of the music from the tents intertwines in a dazzingly cacophony, making you feel like the centre of the world. 

      As you leave, you notice a sign above the gate that reads : Welcome to _Le_   _Cirque des Merveilles_. We cannot promise that you will return and if you do, you will not be the same.


	2. The Beginning of a Phenomenon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gandalf meets with his closest friends (and Thranduil) about a new idea of his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! New chapter already! I'm really into this AU... Anyways, just a warning that this story will not be following a tradititional timeline and will jump all over the place :)

"You cannot be serious Gandalf."

" I have never been more serious about anything in my life Thranduil. This circus could be the most lucrative entertainment business in the world!" Gandalf stands and shoves his sketches and profit margins in Thranduil's direction. " I have crunched the numbers, worked out the designs, and looked at the entertainment market, everything points to the success of this venture!"

Thranduil looks everything over, unimpressed. " You cannot be as certain as you seem that this will work Gandalf. And where will the performers come from? They aren't likely to sign onto a venture where they aren't even guaranteed success, or pay."

" You can leave that to me. I have friends who would be more than agreeable to sign on despite the lack of security. "

" I for one have faith in Gandalf's intuition," Galadriel says, tucking a lock of long blond hair behind her ear. " This circus seems like it will be a success, I personally would love to see it come to fruition."

" And what say you, Elrond Undomiel? Do you agree with this venture?" Thranduil asks, raising a thick eyebrow at the fourth person at the table.

" I am not completely assured of it's success, but I will support Gandalf because he is one of my dearest friends. And he's roped my daughter into performing so I almost have no choice anyways." Elrond replies, "Is everything decided yet?"

" I'm afraid we haven't gotten a confirmed no from Mr. Eryn-Lasgalen," Gandalf says, "Perhaps we should give him a list of the confirmed performers?" Gandalf hands Thranduil the list. He looks it over carelessly, then gets caught on two names: Legolas Eryn-Lasgalen and Tauriel Taur'quessir. 

" You dare use my children to force me to comply with your wishes? Did you force them to join your farce of a business venture as well?" 

" I assure you that was not my intent, and they are hardly children anymore Thranduil, they can make their own choices!" Thranduil grabs his bag and coat and storms off to the door, turning in the door frame. 

" Know this Gandalf Diegrau, you may have my money, but you will never have my support!" With that he leaves, the door slamming closed behind him. 

" He always did have a penchant for dramatics, didn't he?" Galadriel says.

" Indeed, my dear lady. Well, although that did not go exactly as planned, we have achieved our goal. After I get everyone together, the Circus of Wonders will be a go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le Cirque des Merveilles translates to The Circus of Wonders :) Diegrau means the grey in German, Eryn-Lasgalen is Greenwood, and Taur'quessir means silvan elf. I made Elrond's last name Undomiel when I was writing out the AU in my journal because I wrote it as Arwen's last name and they had to match! Also, Tauriel is Thranduil's niece in this but he's raised her as an adopted daughter. Galadriel's last name is Tawarwaith, which means Sindar elves or wood elves.


	3. Silks and Spandex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Bilbo met Fili and where it lead them!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really into non-Bagginshield pairings, don't get me wrong, I still love those dorks together but a little something different every now and again is great! Anyways, enjoy the next chapter!

     There is no where in the world Bilbo feels more at home then he does in the air on his silks. Clutching the soft white fabric in his hands and twisting his body between it, executing lifts and spins and drops. The drops are his favourite. Knowing that he's free falling and could hit the ground and his life could end in a solid thud, but also knowing that he's in control of this fall, and with a well timed grasp he's swinging and spinning on the silk, safe and full of adrenaline. He settles on the lower part of the silks, twisting them into a swing, then climbs back to the top in a simple Russian climb. He wraps half of the silks around his left foot and extends his body around the other, stretching his body to its full extent. Another twist and his torso is wrapped around the silk, his legs tucked near his shoulders spinning in midair to the increase of tempo in the music ( currently Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin ).  Stretching his legs out again, he turns so that his hands support him in an upside down split, a postition he can only hold for a minute before his arms give out. After a few more elegant twists and gravity-defying contortions Bilbo falls into a drop again, stopping about ten feet from the ground, and hears a startled gasp. Bilbo lowers himself gently to the ground, wiping sweat from his brow, before turning to face his audience. The blond man watching him is undoubtedly attractive, tanned and athletic, with a brush of golden stubble and hair tied back in a short ponytail, a few clumps of hair slipping free of the tie framing his face. His bright blue eyes are currently wide with awe and something else, carefully obscured. 

" Is there anything I can do for you? It's just, my practices aren't really supposed to be observed, ruins the majestic mystery of the Circus of Wonders, you know?" Bilbo says. The young man startles as if he didn't imagine Bilbo would actually acknowledge his presence.

" Oh! Umm... no. I just stumbled in here, my family and I just got here, and I don't know my way around yet."

" Would you like me to show around? It wouldn't do to have you wandering into every performer's practice area, especially Gimli's, fire's a bit dangerous for those unprepared to handle it." 

" Uh, sure, that would be great!" The man replies, slowly gaining confidence. " And maybe we could get coffee after?"

" One step at a time mister!" Bilbo chides gently and urges the man out of his practice room. 

      Bilbo does not accept Fili's offer for coffee during their first meeting, nor their second, and not even the third, fourth, or fifth meetings. It is not until Bilbo watches Fili perform that he considers his offer seriously. Bilbo is often vague as to exactly what about Fili's performance changed his mind- and no Bofur, it was not the fact that his body was twisted in very appealing ways, honestly- sometimes saying that it was the passion he saw in Fili's eyes. This is partly true of course, but the main swaying factor was the desire he saw in Fili, flashing in his eyes in time to electric guitar riffs. It was the desire to perform well, the desire for Bilbo to notice him, and a general desire for more. More of what Bilbo could never tell, but this desire pulled Bilbo to Fili and it was a pull Bilbo would never try to refuse. Fili sauntered up to him to ask if he enjoyed the performance, and was shocked when he felt Bilbo's soft lips press against his own, briefly and gently.

" 7:30 Saturday evening would be a lovely time for dinner, I should think. I'm not very picky as to what that dinner should be. My hotel is on the next street over from this one. I shall see you later Fili." Bilbo says, then leaves, waving back when he gets to the door. Poor Fili was too stunned to move, hesitantly touching his lips with his fingertips, as if trying to determine if the kiss was real or not. An elbow to the gut from Kili has him up and moving again, chasing his taunting brother around their practice area. 

      Their relationship is steady and strong, despite a bumpy start with Fili's grumpy Uncle, who eventually grew to love Bilbo. Dis, Fili's mother, adored Bilbo from their first meeting, the two quickly becoming co- conspirators, and everyone knew to be wary when they shot identical innocent looks in your direction.

       Performing together was a natural extension of their relationship, and the ease and beauty of their shared performances stunned fellow cirque members and audiences alike. It is said the pair could withstand anything as long as they face it together and those closest to them know this to be true.

 


End file.
